Healing
by Chocoholic1516
Summary: It has been seven years since the final battle, seven long years.  Many people have moved on with their lives and tried to forget, but  for Harry there are some scars that won't heal. However, life continues and adventure and learning never ends
1. Chapter 1

The sun rose morosely over a purple tinged mountain, illuminating a small country village in a valley below. Quivering rays of dewy sunshine revealed miles and miles of rolling hills and pleasant mountain streams. Sunshine engulfed the valley fully, but try as it might, could not warm it. Quiet brooks giggled softly in the light, but did not, could not, smile. The pale yellow sunshine was not like most light. Although it gave off heat, it was not the same heat one would feel on a happy day. It was not a bright and cheerful yellow, but pale yellow.

On this particular morning, the area's weather may have been directly connected to the presence of a young man with dark hair sitting on a mountainous ledge over looking the village. Or perhaps it was more connected to the young man's current mood. The ledge he was sitting on would not be easily accessible to a normal person, but the man on the ledge was not a normal person. Nevertheless, it might not be a coincidence that there was also a broomstick hovering a few inches above the ground. The dark haired man looked to be around twenty-five, give or take a few years, but at the moment he seemed much older. He stared idly around, surveying his surroundings, but something in his face said that he was not really seeing the mountain in front of him. He frowned as though reliving a painful memory, stretched his arms out behind him and tried to relax, but to no avail. Instead, he focused his bright green eyes on an owl flying far above him. He followed the normally nocturnal animal as it flew down towards a house in the village set apart from the rest of the buildings. The man frowned again and reluctantly got up and grabbed the broomstick next to him. Looking around carefully to make sure no muggles were watching, the man leapt lightly onto the broom and set off towards the house below him.

Many terrible things can happen in a person's life during the course of seven years: war, death, depression, and paranoia. However, along with the bad, there can always be good: marriage, children, safety, and the security of a home. The last seven years of Harry Potter's life was a mixture of the two, the good and the bad. The war had ended with Voldemort's defeat when Harry was seventeen, but while the entire wizarding world rejoiced, most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix sat in a St. Mungo's waiting room sitting silently. Unfortunately, the war's end had not come without pain and death. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had died in the final battle along with Percy, who was at least reunited with his family before he died in battle. The Order had lost members too, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, and Mad-eye Moody all died either in battle or shortly afterwards. Hermione had to spend quite a long time at the wizarding hospital to fully recover from a nasty curse that had rendered her close to death midway through the battle. Ron too, had to spend weeks in St. Mungo's in order to regain physical health, but mental and emotional health would take longer to heal than a few weeks. The death of his parents and estranged brother would not be easily overcome. However, Ron and Hermione's recovery time seemed as fast as a winter breeze compared to Harry's. If killing Voldemort was difficult, then surviving the aftermath was near impossible. After a month long coma, Harry had woken up with fresh memories of war, bright and painful, in his mind. The memories of pain would haunt him day and night and create a scar inside that was far more painful than any on the outside.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Scars of all types attempted to heal, friendships turned into much more and families were formed to replace the ones lost. Ron had married Hermione a year after the war. Remus Lupin had finally given in to Nymphadora Tonks and allowed himself to love, and they were married too. For Harry, there would only ever be one woman and Ginny, true to her Weasley nature, made sure she was the only option to Harry. They were married a month after Ron and Hermione's wedding. More years passed. Families grew larger and scars grew fainter, or at least some did.

Harry touched down on the wet grass and promptly dismounted his broom, his eyes still curiously watching the owl that was now swooping through an open window in the house ahead. The owl had vanished and Harry's mind returned to its previous thoughts. "Seven years," he thought, "its been seven years to the day." His mind was still littered with memories, just as vivid and painful as the actual experiences. Mostly everyone had healed and forgotten, but not Harry. Maybe it was his deep connection to the very core of the war, but it had been seven years and it was still almost as painful now as it had been one hour after the battle. The melancholy atmosphere that had surrounded Harry since that morning, lifted when he entered the house. The smell of cooking bacon wafted in from the kitchen and Harry, turning the corner, found a very pregnant Ginny standing over the stove, wand in hand.

"There you are! Finally decided to show up, I was going to have to eat all of this food myself!" Ginny exclaimed grinningly, sitting her husband down at a table full to the bursting point with food.

"Think you got enough food here? Just because we're having twins doesn't mean you have to eat for three!" said Harry grinning back at her.

"I am not eating that much!" she responded indignantly, all the while pulling up a large plate of bacon and taking at least five pieces. "Anyway, where did you go this morning?"

"Um…just for a little fly around the valley and don't worry no muggles saw me."

"Are you sure?" questioned Ginny, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"Yes, yes…what are you and the kids doing today?" Harry asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his previous thoughts.

"Don't you remember? We're all going to Ron and Hermione's place today." She said

"Are Charlotte and Katherine coming too?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, the kids haven't seen their cousins in so long and it would be nice to catch up with the old crowd, especially today…" Her voice trailed away and both looked down at their plates. There was a long pause. "Oh! And you've got a letter, the owl came in right before you did." Harry looked up and suddenly remembered why he had left the ledge overlooking the village. He got up and turned the corner to find a letter on the counter by the window. At the time, he had not known the owl and had wondered whom it was from and turning the letter over he immediately recognized the Hogwarts crest.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry turned the parchment back over and quickly opened the letter.

"Why on earth would Hogwarts be writing to me?" Harry said quietly to himself as he slid out a single piece of parchment from the envelope.

_Dear Harry,_

_As the next term of school approaches, I have found myself in need of several new staff members. Professor Thankards has just informed me this morning that he will not be returning to the Hogwarts staff next year. And so that leaves us in a very similar situation; we are again without a defense against the dark arts teacher. I was wondering if you would like to apply for job. If so, would you kindly meet me in my office at Hogwarts tomorrow at ten-o-clock in the morning._

_Hoping you are well, _

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Headmistress _

Harry returned the letter to its space on the counter and sat down on a nearby chair. The Hogwarts staff had changed a lot since he was at school. After Dumbledore's death, McGonagall had become the new headmistress and a new transfiguration teacher had been hired. Snape, although he murdered Dumbledore on Dumbledore's own orders, did not return to Hogwarts the following year. Harry did not know who was potions master now, but rumor had it that Draco Malfoy wanted the job. Much to Harry's surprise, Malfoy was proven innocent after the war. Although he didn't help the Order he didn't hurt them either, so Harry really didn't know what to think about him anymore. His thoughts then turned to the vacant defense against the dark arts post. With a flash of memories, Harry remembered the long hours the DA had spent in the room of requirement, and he smiled to himself.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Ginny, poking her head around the kitchen corner, "And what was that letter about, it better not be from the ministry sending you off again to catch some runaway Death Eater!"

" No no, it's from Hogwarts" Harry responded shaking his head.

"Hogwarts! Why would they be writing to you?"

Harry picked up the letter from the counter and handed it to his wife. She took it and read. Once she finished she handed it back to Harry.

"So… are you going to take it," She asked staring at him. "it would be a lot safer than what you do now"

"Yeah, it would" he said. Harry did not work full time currently, but a few years ago he worked around the clock rounding up old Death Eaters. There were only a few left not in Azkaban, but it was still a dangerous job and Ginny had never liked it.

"But I would have to leave you and the kids" replied Harry as though looking for a reason not to take the job

"We could always move closer to Hogwarts"

"Yes, but…" Harry tried to say but Ginny cut him off,

"No buts, I think you should at least meet with McGonagall and ask her what she thinks," said Ginny sternly. Harry tried to argue, but it was no use.

"Good, now go get ready to leave and I'll get the kids and clean up," She pointed up the stairs and Harry left the kitchen. Ginny, with one hand on her large stomach, put the dishes in the sink and climbed the stairs after her husband.

An hour later, the Potter family congregated at the living room fireplace. Harry held his two-year old daughter, Katherine, while Ginny watched after the five-year old Charlotte. Katherine had large brown eyes, but apart from that looked extraordinarily like her father. Charlotte, on the other hand, received the Weasley red hair and had her father's green eyes. Charlotte, unlike her sister, had also inherited a personality prone to mood swings and not much common sense. Harry picked up the flowerpot from the mantle, took a pinch of floo powder, and threw it into the flames.

"Can I go first!" squeaked Charlotte eagerly looking up at her parents

"Not this time Char, you still have to go with your Mom" said Ginny fondly, picking up her oldest child and walking into the emerald flames. "See you there" she told Harry and disappeared. Katherine's eyes grew big as she stared into the fire and then she looked up expectantly at her Father. Harry grinned and he too, holding his daughter tight, walked straight into the flames shouted, "The Burrow," and they both were gone.

Harry stepped out of the fire moments later and brushed soot from his robes and then looking down, smiled at Katherine. He put her down and walked over to Ginny who was now watching Charlotte run towards her redheaded cousin Alex. "Sometimes time goes by so fast," Said Ginny still watching her daughter.

"Then again sometimes it doesn't go fast enough," replied Harry looking around the Burrow's small kitchen. He remembered Mrs. Weasley cooking dinner, Mr. Weasley discussing muggles, and Fred and George playing pranks on Percy. So many memories in such a small space. The room was full of people, all of whom were in either the Order or Dumbledore's Army. Soon enough they were engaged in several conversations at once. Harry was discussing the open Herbology teacher post at Hogwarts with Neville, staring incredulously at Luna still talking about some strange nonexistent beast and arguing with Ron over a quidditch match. Ginny and Hermione sat a little farther from the clump of people and watched Charlotte and Hermione's son Alex play while little Katherine looked on.

Around dinnertime, the conversations turned to the seven-year anniversary of the final battle. An unusual hush filled the room and everyone forced fake smiles. "I can't believe it's been seven years," said someone in the crowd. All minds drifted through rows of graves and everyone in the room remembered what had been lost, but then forced themselves to think about what was gained. Slowly, voices grew louder and conversations grew casual again. The party ended at around eight-o-clock, sleepy children dozed in their parents arms and parents, tired as well, apparated or flooed away. Harry and Ginny said goodbye to the Weasleys, gathered their children and flooed home. An hour later, the children were asleep in their beds. Harry kissed Ginny goodnight and she feel asleep almost immediately, but Harry stayed awake and stared at the ceiling thinking about the appointment with Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts tomorrow. If he took the job, he would have to leave his family, but if he didn't he would lose a valuable chance. "I'll figure it out in the morning," Harry told himself and he fell asleep.


End file.
